USS Stargazer (NCC-2893)
The USS Stargazer was a ''Constellation''-class Federation starship. The vessel was commanded by Jean-Luc Picard from 2333 to 2355. Service History Construction of the Stargazer began in 2276. (TOS novel'' Honor Blade) In 2333 Jean-Luc Picard assumed command of the ''Stargazer. He would hold command of the vessel for the next 22 years. The Battle of Maxia In 2355 the Stargazer was in the Maxia Zeta star system. Also in the star system was the Ferengi scout Seventy-Fifth Rule, commanded by Flax, son of DaiMon Bok. Upon encountering the Stargazer, Flax launched an unprovoked attack on the Stargazer. During the course of the battle, the Stargazer was severely damaged. Captain Picard ordered his helm to obtain a bearing on the attacking vessel, and upon receiving that bearing ordered his ship to jump into high warp for several seconds. He then ordered the ship to come to a full stop near the unknown ship. As a result, the Stargazer briefly appeared to be in two places at once - and the Seventy-Fifth Rule fired where the Stargazer had been. The Stargazer fired phasers and six photon torpedoes at the ship, which exploded. Afterwards, Captain Picard decided to abandon the Stargazer, which was on fire and losing power. The survivors of the battle drifted in shuttlecraft for weeks before being picked up. Upon his return to the Federation, Captain Picard was court martialed for the loss of the Stargazer, but was ultimately acquitted. The desperate maneuver Picard used at the battle would come to be known as the Picard Maneuver. Because the Ferengi had refused all communications during the battle, Starfleet had no idea who attacked the Stargazer. Starfleet Intelligence initially suspected that it was a Cardassian ship that had attacked the Stargazer. (TNG episode: "The Battle" and SCE eBook: Home Fires) Retrieval Shortly after the battle, a starship commanded by Bok entered the system in search of the Seventy-Fifth Rule, but only the stricken Stargazer was found in decaying orbit of Maxia Zeta V. Against many of his crews wishes and risking trouble from his superiors, DaiMon Bok took control of the Stargazer as a personal prize in the hopes of one day hatching a plot for revenge against Picard. (TNG episode: "The Battle"; novel: The Buried Age) In 2364, Bok asked for a meeting with the Enterprise. At the initial meeting Bok formally returned the Stargazer to Federation control. It was at this point that Starfleet finally learned the identity of the unknown vessel that attacked the Stargazer, that it had been a Ferengi starship. What Bok had not revealed at the initial meeting was that his son had been in command, that he was on his first voyage as a DaiMon when Picard destroyed his ship. Bok was using the Stargazer as part of an elaborate scheme to take revenge on Picard. He had planted a mind altering device in Picard's quarters on the Stargazer, Picard unknowingly took the device back to the Enterprise. This device permitted Bok to control Picard's mind to the point where Picard was reliving his experiences on the Stargazer just prior to the battle. Bok used the device to get Picard on board the Stargazer, in the hopes that in his confused state Picard would mistake the Enterprise for the attacking Ferengi ship and destroy them. Picard, convinced he was at the Battle of Maxia, tried to attack the Enterprise using the Picard Maneuver - however Data had constructed a defense to the Picard Maneuver and kept Picard from attacking his own ship. Bok was arrested and removed from power by his first officer. Following the incident, a tug met the Enterprise, and towed the Stargazer to a nearby starbase. (TNG episode The Battle) Crew Manifest Bridge Crew *Commanding officer: **Captain Anton Manning (?-2329-?) **Captain Daithan Ruhalter (23??-2333) **Captain Jean-Luc Picard (2333-2355) *First officer: **Lieutenant Commander Stephen Leach (233?-2333) ** Lieutenant Commander Gilaad Ben Zoma (2333-2355) *Second officer: ** Lieutenant Commander Jean-Luc Picard (233?-2333) ** Lieutenant Commander Elizabeth Wu (2333-2336) *Navigation: **Lieutenant Gerda Asmund (2333-2350) **Ensign Durand (235?-2355) *Helm: ** Lieutenant Idun Asmund (2333-2355) **Ensign Cole Paris (2333-?) *Weapons Officer: ** Lieutenant Werber (-2333) ** Lieutenant Vigo (2333-2355) Sciences Division *Chief Science officer: **Lieuteant Angela Carriello (?-2333) **Lieutenant Juanita Valderrama (2333) **Lieutenant Nol Kastiigan (2333-?) **Lieutenant Jack Crusher (234?-2354) **Lieutenant Schuster (235?-2355) *'Junior Science Officers' **Ensign Jiterica (2333-?) **Crewman Emily Bender (2333-?) Medical *chief medical officer: **Doctor Carter Greyhorse (2333-2355) Engineering *chief engineer ** Lieutenant Phigus Simenon (23??-2355) ** Lieutenant Urajel Security *security chief: **Lieutenant Commander Gilaad Ben Zoma (?-2333) **Lieutenant Ang (2333-?) **Lieutenant Peter Joseph (?-2355) *'Security Officers': **Lieutenant Obal (2333-?) **Ensign Andreas Nikolas (2333-?) Other Crew *Lieutenant Dikembe Ulelo *Lieutenant Bill Refsland *Ensign Joesph Caber *Ensign Tricia Cadwallader *Ensign Morgen *Ileen Maisel *Storennan Grace See Also Star Trek: Stargazer Appearances and References *''Encounter at Farpoint'' (TNG novelization) *''Star Trek: Legacy'' (Legacy Mission: Revelations) Connections * Stargazer (NCC-02893), USS Stargazer, USS